Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

Just recommissioned my Trek for going back to University.

Stripped it all down, cleaned, re-oiled, stuck back together.
Deda RHM02 Handlebars and new pink grips
New set of MTB pedals (much easier to commute on)
New set of Specialized Armadillo's and inner tubes

 

Ooh meant to drop in here with an update. Purchased meself the specialized mtb i linked to before (thanks for feedback Malvolio). Picked it up on the Saturday and went straight up onto cannock chase for a couple of hours, was wonderful. Having only ever owned cheapo appollo bikes before it was a joy to ride, even only being entry level it felt class.

I'll post a few pics up when I can.

 

Any Specialized Allez owners on here? Given there are some sales going around and the 2012 bikes looming soon, I'm thinking of grabbing either a 2011 Allez Sport or Elite whilst I still can.

 

Malvolio, out of interest, how many posts do you have in here? I have 170ish, I reckon you have a fair few more than me.

Mankz, would you not consider something along these lines? I know a mountain bike clipless isn't as good for road as a road clipless due to the smaller surface area but it could save you changing pedals and wrecking the threads in your cranks everytime you want to go out all lycra'd up.

 

I've got a pair of SPD's much like the above, except with even larger plastic bits. I have stupidly big feet (14 and a bit) so my feet dont get good purchase and when they get wet slide off too easily. These new ones are great for what I need, and I've got one of those pedal wrench thingies, so to put on the clips only takes 4 or 5 mins

 

Yeah the larger plastic bits are for road, the pedals have a larger area as usually road shoes have a thinner sole compared with mtb giving more comfort compared with grinding out 100 mile on an MTB clipless.

I'm sure though the constant changing of pedals will begin to wear the threads in the crank though, that was the main reason for me posting. Maybe a cyclist with more on a metalwork / engineering background could agree or put me straight on this?

 

@Sketchee: Glad you're liking it! Just remember to take care of it and it'll last you many years to come.

@Cookie Monster: higher 140's, so not all that many. Before I became quite rather annoyed with several other communities with a more cycling specific focus (I won't go too deeply into my reasoning here) it wasn't unreasonable for me to post twenty to thirty replies in a night, no two ever within the same thread, all offering some form of assistance. So it's nice to have a community that is receptive such as this, hence why I tend to monitor this thread as much as I can.

@Juppun: Yes, yes I do. And I would definitely recommend one, as they are sort of a budget-minded Tarmac, which is one of the nicer road frames out there at the moment. Fantastic feeling bike without your wallet filling for divorce. Though I've gone a little bonkers with mine, the new ones are still well nice, and the sales staff I work with do wholly recommend them.

And to the current discussion: older square-taper cranks that have been installed and uninstalled many times tend to wear out to the point where they just physically will not sit as they should, requiring them to be replaced. Although the pedal interface is a good bit more well defined and of a higher quality machining (generally speaking), there is no reason to think that this won't happen as well. One should expect the threads to feel quite rather a lot looser over time, almost certainly to the point where the pedals will no longer stay tight. This says nothing to how much metal will get deformed/removed just at the point of contact between the hilt of the pedal threads on the axle.

That aside, there is one very good reason that you shouldn't consider having specific working and weekend pedals: you're lazy. I don't mean this in a negative way however. Yeah sure you're going to remember to swap them out without fault for maybe the first month, but then one weekend you'll want to take a rip down to the local for a packet of crisps and you won't feel quite up to changing the pedals over, and so your work-day pedals will stay on for the entire weekend. Maybe you'll regret not changing them, vowing to remember next weekend. Maybe not though. But either way you've now opened the path to never changing them again, allowing yourself to settle on just using one pedal, realising that neither one has any advantage significant enough to warrant it's usage over the other in a particular situation.

Thus, if you're just going to end up with a broken crank, and only using one set of pedals anyway, why not just pick the one that makes the most sense right off the bat? Go two-bolt with a good shoe if you require better float with some mud clearance, or three-bolt (again with a good shoe) if you absolutely require stiffness and power transfer. There isn't much else to it. Also keep in mind that a good MTB shoe will also allow for good walking off the bike (for when you do go to buy that packet of crisps), despite offering excellent stiffness and comfort whilst clipped in.

 

Here are my latest updates - sorry about the garden pics! Not taken it anywhere yet.

 

That the steel 456? My mates just bought the carbon one he is very impressed with everything but the finish. Going to get a shot at the weekend I think.

 

Yeah, it's the steely. Weighs just under 12kg so it's pretty nippy (I weighed it crudely with weighing scales!)

Really good fun to ride. I can't wait to get it to Dalby or Coed Llangdegla!

 

Snapped a spoke last night, what should I do? What are the chances of it working if I just get a new one and replace it myself, are the next 20 going to snap?

 

should be fine getting it replaced mate just dont ride it with one dead, its really weakens the rim.

 

Just ordered a new front Hope Pro 2 for my bike today, save a bit more then I can get the rear and get my wheels built.

 

Meh already did 2 hours last night, but I'll try to stay away from it for the time being.

 

The more you ride it broken, the more likely it is that the hoop will be permanently damaged. If you're alright with having to replace the entire wheel, and the possibility of catastrophic failure (which could result in a rather nasty crash), then ride as much as you want on it. However, compare the cost of just getting a single spoke replaced to that of a new wheel ($20 vs $100 or more) and you'll soon realise just how silly it is to simply "leave it" for the time being.

Seriously, spoke replacement is one of the simpler things I do in a day, and it never entails very much work or cost.

 

I rode my DH bike with a spoke missing in the rear wheel for a year. The rim was already pretty bent and I was planning to replace it anyway.

 

Yeah I'll get a replacement and wont ride any more with the spoke missing.. A single damn spoke is just such a silly thing to go all the way to the shops for

 

Hi people

My daily commuter bike needs a new front brake. The old one is simply rusted all to hell. Since I am a student I though "Why go to a bike store? A simple brake you must be able to replace yourself!"

So, here are a couple of pictures of the front brake in question and a link to a possible replacement? I rarely use my front brake, so it doesn't have to be the greatest quality and I am probably buying a proper road bike soon, which will reduce this one to winter commutes (1.5 km's) to school.

Oh, and never mind the shock absorbers. Danish winter weather combined with lots and lots of salt on the roads and me being too lazy to wipe them down every single time I have ridden the bike results in shock absorbers that now just functions like a normal front.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-A...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item45fc703098

 

Very nice collection of rust you have there!

Yes, the brake you've selected is exactly right - rather, it's a direct replacement (other than colour) for your existing brake. Keep in mind that in the box there is only a noodle (the metal bit that allows the cable to connect to the brake arm), and bolts in addition to the callipers, but no cable or housing, so you'll need to pick some of that up as well. Something like this would work well (they're even in various colours!).

If you need help setting it up don't hesitate to ask.

 

Why not just service those brakes?

Remove them from the mounts and rub the brake bosses with some wirewool. This will make them spring back freely. Refit them once some grease has been applied to the bosses. Then buy some new pads and some new inner and outer cable and get it all setup.

Changing the arms for new ones won't give you any better braking performance, they will just look better. Which given the state of the forks is pointless.